Air Force activates provisional Global Strike Command

Air Force officials officially stood up a provisional Global Strike Command Jan. 12 at Bolling Air Force Base, D.C.

The provisional command will be temporarily located at the Washington, D.C., base with supporting detachments at Air Combat Command and Air Force Space Command.

Its charter is to lead preparation activities for the establishment of a major command that will consolidate nuclear operations under a single organization.

Brigadier Gen. James M. Kowalski assumed command and is responsible for implementing the organization's program action directive, which outlines necessary actions to standup the new Global Strike Command. This includes assisting in identifying a final location, and identifying manpower and resource requirements that will transfer to the newly established command.

The provisional command will also work closely with officials from Headquarters Air Force Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration Office (A10), Air Combat Command, Air Force Space Command, Air Force Materiel Command and U.S. Strategic Command as Global Strike Command members refine their roles and responsibilities.

Air Force Global Strike Command (Provisional) is a temporary unit that will not have any manpower authorizations and will be inactivated upon the standup of the permanent command. Headquarters Air Force and major command staffs provided temporary personnel to fill a core headquarters element of 55 members who are subject matter experts capable of developing the functional requirements for Air Force Global Strike Command.

"There is an incredibly rich tradition of operational competency in this mission, and our Air Force has done a lot of work to restore our focus on deterrence," General Kowalski said. "We look forward to laying the foundation needed to stand up Global Strike Command."